Clinton Dodd is being honored with the SCIAC Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes an individual who has promoted collegiate athletics and the concept of the student-athlete as a coach, administrator or long-term member of the conference and/or otherwise been involved with servicing college athletics on campus. The award may be given to nominees who have retired or resigned from athletics administration and who have rendered such meritrious service to intercollegiate athletics as may seem sufficient to entitle them to this honor. Dodd will be honored at the SCIAC's annual awards banquet on May 24, 2016.

Clinton Dodd has been involved in SCIAC conference athletics for 34 years. In 1979 he worked as Head Water Polo Coach at Whittier College, and as Assistant Coach at Cal State Los Angeles.  In 1980 he was hired at Caltech where he then worked continuously as the Head Coach of Swimming/Diving and Water Polo, both men and women until 2009. Dodd retired in 2013 having coached over a thousand student-athletes, dozens of Academic All-Americans and producing several NCAA All-Americans. He was able to found Caltech’s women’s water polo club in 1980 that became a SCIAC conference team in 2003

During his tenure Clinton Dodd was greatly appreciated by the Caltech student body, a generally highly over-worked, academically inclined group of kids who somehow have left over energy to invest in athletics.  Within the Caltech community, Clinton played a key role in teaching aquatics classes, including SCUBA, which he did for 25 years.  For his commitment to teaching excellence he earned the ASCIT Excellence in Teaching award, bestowed by the undergraduate student body.  In 2004 he received the National Scuba Instructor Excellence Service Award as well as receiving the Golden Pin from USA Water Polo for 25 years of service.

Dodd received his BS degree from Humboldt State University in 1979, with a double major in Physical Education and Biology and is an tenacious enthusiast of sports in general and aquatics in particular.  Even after retiring he still attends every Caltech water polo match and swim meet that he is able to and attends the SCIAC Championships.  His commitment to excellence and warm smile has pushed many Caltech student athletes to extend themselves far beyond what they did in prior to attending Caltech.  He has formed strong bonds with the faculty and administration and championed the importance of developing strong programs in athletics for sake of balance in undergraduate life at Caltech.

History of Past Distinguished Service Award Recipients